Jalapenos I Grew: The Food Thread Part 2

[JorisL]

Sounds delicious!

I just made Gordon Ramsey's spicy tomato relish (he uses it for his ultimate steak sandwich).
In half an hour all lightly fry some veggies, the chicken I marinated in harissa paste yesterday.
Chuck it all in a tortilla and KABLAM, balanced, healthy diner.
Quite cheap as well since I used 1 carrot, 1 red onion, half a bell pepper, a clove of garlic for all things vegetable related.
I also have 2 chicken breasts (300 grams total) which costed under 1.6 euros.

All in all I think we'll be eating great food for under 2.5 a person.
If I factor in that some of the vegetables were free we'll stay under 2.

Time spent cooking? Less than 30 minutes total.

I'd say this is cheaper than ramen noodles (over here they are expensive regardless).

 

[ZapperZ]

Has anyone been watching the new series on PBS called "I'll have what Phil's Having"? If you haven't, you should!

Last night they aired the 2nd episode of the series. The first episode he went to Tokyo, and it was hysterical. The "egg cream" scene towards the end is destined to be a classic! The second one, aired last night, was in Florence. Oh my god, I almost cried at the end! His take on the food that he encounters is refreshing, humorous, and often heart-warming. But as with all types of cuisine, what I liked the most is the context he gave of the food with regards to the area.

And his parents that he Skyped with from home were a riot!

They air repeats a couple of times throughout the week here, so catch it if you haven't already. This is the type of programming that Food Network has no guts and no imagination in producing.

Zz.

 

[OmCheeto]

Has anyone been watching the new series on PBS called "I'll have what Phil's Having"? If you haven't, you should!

Last night they aired the 2nd episode of the series. The first episode he went to Tokyo, and it was hysterical. The "egg cream" scene towards the end is destined to be a classic! The second one, aired last night, was in Florence. Oh my god, I almost cried at the end! His take on the food that he encounters is refreshing, humorous, and often heart-warming. But as with all types of cuisine, what I liked the most is the context he gave of the food with regards to the area.

And his parents that he Skyped with from home were a riot!

They air repeats a couple of times throughout the week here, so catch it if you haven't already. This is the type of programming that Food Network has no guts and no imagination in producing.

Zz.

For anyone without TV access, episode #1 is available online:

I'LL HAVE WHAT PHIL'S HAVING
Episode 1: Tokyo
Air date: Sept 28, 2015​

Hopefully episode #2 will be available next week.
Phil reminds me of a cross between Peter Boyle & Christopher Eccleston. He has a magically expressive face.

So how much do I like this show? I'm only into it 20 minutes, and it's the first "food show" I've ever put on my bookmarks bar.

[edit] 30 minutes. I can't stop laughing!

 

[JorisL]

For anyone without TV access, episode #1 is available online:

I'LL HAVE WHAT PHIL'S HAVING
Episode 1: Tokyo
Air date: Sept 28, 2015​

Hopefully episode #2 will be available next week.
Phil reminds me of a cross between Peter Boyle & Christopher Eccleston. He has a magically expressive face.

So how much do I like this show? I'm only into it 20 minutes, and it's the first "food show" I've ever put on my bookmarks bar.

[edit] 30 minutes. I can't stop laughing!

Cool its not limited to US connections. I'll watch it later

 

[JorisL]

Looking for suggestions to cook up some prawns.
I was thinking of tikka masala at first but don't have most of the spices.
Then I was thinking of a take on carbonara (which my roommate doesn't like so it's perfect since she's not here tomorrow).
But I fear the bacon would overpower the prawns.

My backup would be prawns marinated in some harissa paste. It's nice and spicy, I can add coarsely chopped bell peppers and carrots for veg.
And best of all the paste gives a great oil in the pan which I can use to moisten the rice I plan to eat with it.

 

[wolram]

I'm told by a great chef (my daughter) that you can not be a good chef unless you have good knife skills, how many of you can slice a ripe tomato?

 

[Evo]

I was watching Cook's Country recently and they showed a faster way to cook spaghetti in a skillet with very little water. They said the results were excellent and would not have known they were prepared this way. The way I've seen it prepared is to place the pasta in a large skillet with just enough cold salted water to cover the pasta, then when the water is gone, pasta is done. I just prepared angel hair pasta this way, 12 minutes from placing the pasta into the cold water. EXCELLENT.

Thought you more technical types might like this article, although he does seem to heat the water first.

http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/05/how-to-cook-pasta-salt-water-boiling-tips-the-food-lab.html

 

[ZapperZ]

Made my version of chapati for dinner today. I made a huge pot of Malaysian chicken curry last night, and we had it with brown rice. But today, I felt like having it with bread, so that's why I made the chapati. Besides, curry tastes so much better the next day.

I used 2 packets of Malaysian meat curry, but I also added whole star anise, cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, and whole cardamon into the curry. Sometime the Malaysian curry has a base flavor using shrimp paste. Since I don't have any (and since Chuck is allergic to shrimp), I instead used anchovy paste as a substitute, and also added fish sauce as a finishing touch.

It was bowl-licking good, if I may say so myself.

Zz.

 

[Evo]

Made my version of chapati for dinner today. I made a huge pot of Malaysian chicken curry last night, and we had it with brown rice. But today, I felt like having it with bread, so that's why I made the chapati. Besides, curry tastes so much better the next day.

I used 2 packets of Malaysian meat curry, but I also added whole star anise, cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, and whole cardamon into the curry. Sometime the Malaysian curry has a base flavor using shrimp paste. Since I don't have any (and since Chuck is allergic to shrimp), I instead used anchovy paste as a substitute, and also added fish sauce as a finishing touch.

It was bowl-licking good, if I may say so myself.

Zz.

Yummm! How did you make the chapati?

 

[ZapperZ]

Yummm! How did you make the chapati?

Oh, good question! Silly me, I forgot to describe that.

I used equal amount of all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour. In this case, a cup each. I added about 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 cup oil and enough water until it forms a smooth dough when kneaded. Then I let it sit for about 10 minutes.

To roll it out, pinch out a dough about the size of a golf ball, roll it out till about 1/4 inch thick. Then I fry it on a griddle with some oil till crispy on the outside, but still soft/chewy on the inside. That's it!

Zz.

 

[Evo]

Oh, good question! Silly me, I forgot to describe that.

I used equal amount of all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour. In this case, a cup each. I added about 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 cup oil and enough water until it forms a smooth dough when kneaded. Then I let it sit for about 10 minutes.

To roll it out, pinch out a dough about the size of a golf ball, roll it out till about 1/4 inch thick. Then I fry it on a griddle with some oil till crispy on the outside, but still soft/chewy on the inside. That's it!

Zz.

Thank you!

 

[wolram]

Today i made a chli
Ingredients: I lb ground beef, 2 onions diced, 1 green pepper diced, jalapeno finely chopped, 14 oz can tomatoes, 2 cans tomato sauce 8oz.
2 table spoons cumin, 2 table spoons chili powder, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon Cayenne pepper,1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika, can 14 oz of kidney beans drained
can black beans drained.

Method:
Cook ground beef, onions, and peppers with a little oil until soft.
Drain excess oil and add tomatoes, seasonings, to 1/2 cup water bring to boil.
Add beans cover and simmer for 2hrs.

I found this a little mild so next time i am going to use hotter chilies and more chili powder.

 

[Silicon Waffle]

[...]

I found this a little mild so next time i am going to use hotter chilies and more chili powder.

 

[wolram]

I have just found this recipe for RED HOT CHILI, thing is it serves eight people, can i halve the ingredients and get the same red hotness
http://www.food.com/recipe/not-for-sissies-red-hot-chili-crock-pot-chili-317341

Any one have a better recipe?

 

[Evo]

I have just found this recipe for RED HOT CHILI, thing is it serves eight people, can i halve the ingredients and get the same red hotness
http://www.food.com/recipe/not-for-sissies-red-hot-chili-crock-pot-chili-317341

Any one have a better recipe?

Yes you can easily adjust the amount of bacon (too much) and cayenne powder. Just reduce any amount of anything in that recipe and it will come out fine.

 

[dlgoff]

Giving lots of simmer time is what make a good batch of chili IMO. When I make big batches, this simmer time allows for sampling to get the heat just right.

 

[DiracPool]

I cooked a mean pot roast last night. Cooked it in my toaster oven. Had the 3 lb. slab of meat on the top rack and the veggies on the bottom rack. What were the veggies you might ask? Well, they were organic rutabagas, a russet potato, organic carrots, a yellow onion, and some wilted celery I revived from the dead.

For the sauce mix I really pulled out all the stops and bought a McCormick's pot roast seasoning pouch. I got the fancy upgrade version, though, the $1.99 packet with the wet sauce. Not the .99 cent package with just the dry rub.

So I slow cooked it for 3 hours on 275 degrees. When my alarm on my LG Android smartphone went off, it was done and ready to eat. But guess what I did? I wasn't ready to eat because I was enjoying a vodka cranberry at the time and watching the pilot episode of "Fringe" on Netflix.

So I was devious and let that baby sit in the oven for an entire additional hour at 275 degrees. When I finally got around to eating it the vegetables were perfectly cooked and the meat was so tender it didn't even stay on the fork. I think the key was "tenting" the veggies with aluminum foil for the last 2 hours.

Right now I have some Kansas city rub spareribs in the rotisserie. I prefer baby back, but I had these pre-rubbed KC ribs before and they were delicious. They were so delicious that the first time I overcooked them and they came out looking like charcoal. But the scent was so good in the kitchen that I spent the better part of an hour trying to find a few wet morsels amidst the holocaust.

 

[ZapperZ]

This past Halloween, I had a small dinner party, and I decided to do an all Southeast Asian menu. I had rice, and a vegetable dish of green beans cooked in coconut milk and chunks of pumpkin (appropriate, no?). But the main dish is the grilled salmon slathered with a spice paste, and wrapped in banana leaf and cooked in the oven (I usually would use the grill outside, but I didn't feel like it).

The spice paste is made off one large onions, 4 cloves of garlic, an inch of ginger, 1 stalk of lemongrass (use only the bottom 1/3), and one dried ancho chilli soaked till soft (I'd use more, but one member of the party doesn't do well with too-spicy stuff). Cut them all into chunks and blend till smooth in a blender or food processor. You may need to add a bit of water (1/4 cup) to get it to blend smoothly.

Then you have to fry it, and you have to fry it in lots of oil! Put 3/4 cup (yes, you read that right) of cooking oil into a skillet, preferably non-stick. Pour the blend paste into the oil, and add 3 anchovies fillet, 3 tablespoons of fish sauce, and 2 tablespoons of rice-wine vinegar. Add 1 tablespoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of sugar.

You have to fry the heck out of it with medium heat. In fact, it'll take you probably 15-30 minutes of constant frying and stirring. The visual cue here for when it is done is when the oil starts to leach out of the paste. Let it fry and stir for a couple of minutes more, and then cool it down.

Once cool, smear it all over your fish. I like using whole mackerel, but salmon filet works as well. (Mackerel is perfect because this is paste with such a strong flavor, and it can go toe-to-toe with the strong flavor of the mackerel). Using a banana leaf is option. You can use parchment paper. But the banana leaf does add to the flavor and aroma.

This is what it looks like before it is grilled after I smeared the paste onto the fish:

The sliced lemon is also optional, but I love the flavor of the lemon juice and the oils from the skin that will drip down onto the fish during cooking.

Here it is when I wrapped it up with banana leaf and aluminum foil. The fish is completely wrapped with the banana leaf, and the foil is there to prevent leakage, even though I placed it on a baking sheet. If I were to do this on the grill, I just put the whole pouch directly on the grill.

Bake at 400 F for 30-40 minutes, depending on the size and thickness of your fish. On the grill, do not put this directly over the hottest part since it will burn first before the fish is cooked.

When it is done, this is what it looks like:

It was yummy!

Zz.

 

[ZapperZ]

This past week saw the last episode in the outstanding series "I'll Have What Phil's Having". It is my opinion that, outside of Andrew Zimmern's "Bizarre Food" series, this is the BEST food and travel show on TV.

Most of my friends were shocked and disappointed that there were only 5 episodes in this first series. Many of us have written to PBS/WGBH and to the show directly asking them to produce more. As I've always emphasized, the food and the context of the food with the surrounding society and culture make for a richer story-telling. To me, this is a show becomes more than just a food show. And this series often will make you laugh out loud in one instant, and in the next, almost will make you almost shed a tear. Not many food show can do that!

Speaking of shedding a tear, did anyone catch the Guatemala episode on Andrew Zimmern's "Bizarre Food"? Towards the end, when one of the ladies thanked him for eating their food and for not looking down on their cuisine, Zimmern was in tears, and I almost lost it. This entire series is just spectacular.

Zz.

 

[OmCheeto]

This past week saw the last episode in the outstanding series "I'll Have What Phil's Having". It is my opinion that, outside of Andrew Zimmern's "Bizarre Food" series, this is the BEST food and travel show on TV.

Thank you for the reminder. (I'm currently immersed in watching 400+ "Classic" Dr. Who episodes...)
According to OPB, all of the episodes "expire" on 12/15/2015.
@JorisL , if you are going to watch, you've only 5 weeks left, I think.

Most of my friends were shocked and disappointed that there were only 5 episodes in this first series.

I'm counting 6: Easy Reference to all episodes.

Many of us have written to PBS/WGBH and to the show directly asking them to produce more. As I've always emphasized, the food and the context of the food with the surrounding society and culture make for a richer story-telling. To me, this is a show becomes more than just a food show. And this series often will make you laugh out loud in one instant, and in the next, almost will make you almost shed a tear. Not many food show can do that!

As I mentioned, this is the first time I've bookmarked a cooking show.

Speaking of shedding a tear, did anyone catch the Guatemala episode on Andrew Zimmern's "Bizarre Food"? Towards the end, when one of the ladies thanked him for eating their food and for not looking down on their cuisine, Zimmern was in tears, and I almost lost it. This entire series is just spectacular.

Zz.

Still no cable here. ("Bizarre Foods" is apparently on the "Travel Channel")

Wait!

"That's a big pot of moose brains..." [ref: http://www.travelchannel.com/shows/bizarre-foods/video/bizarre-foods-full-episodes]​

Never ate brains before.

 

[JorisL]

Thank you for the reminder. (I'm currently immersed in watching 400+ "Classic" Dr. Who episodes...)
According to OPB, all of the episodes "expire" on 12/15/2015.
@JorisL , if you are going to watch, you've only 5 weeks left, I think.

Funny you mentioned this, I checked it out 2 days ago.
Didn't find the time to watch episodes 3-end this weekend. Tonight I'll hopefully find some time.

 

[ZapperZ]

You all know that I love many different types of food. Some of the food I make can be quite involved and required elaborate preparations.

But sometime, all I want is something simple. But often times, simple does not mean easy, because when you prepare things simply, there's nothing to hide behind. If the quality and preparation aren't good, you have nowhere to hide.

I prepared myself some lunch the other day, and it was a simple collection of stuff: good sardines in olive oil, crackers, freshly-cut carrots and celery, and some good cheeses (pecorino-romano and pepper jack). I made some hard-boiled eggs, and this is where simple isn't easy. I'm very fussy about my eggs. I prefer my hard-boiled eggs to not be overcooked, meaning that the yolk is still orange and slightly moist/wet. I find this to be tastier than the overboiled eggs.

I've served this with some radishes, crusty bread, and a good red wine in the evening when we have a light supper al fresco during the summer. It is surprisingly satisfying.

Zz.

 

[PWiz]

Looking at all the exceedingly intricate and ingenious recipes posted in this thread makes me realize how pitiful my culinary skills are, since the best I can currently make is a cheese sandwich.

 

[JorisL]

Just do it!

No really, try something you really like and find a clear recipe.
Once you can follow those it's pretty easy to start experimenting.

A favourite of mine is whenever I cook some chicken breasts, when it's done remove the from the pan.
Next throw in some cream. It'll violently bubble if your pan is hot, which is good.
While the cream thickens, add terragon. It's perfect with chicken.

This is such an easy, creamy sauce and so simple.
Just keep stirring, it thickens naturally.

 

[OmCheeto]

Looking at all the exceedingly intricate and ingenious recipes posted in this thread makes me realize how pitiful my culinary skills are, since the best I can currently make is a cheese sandwich.

Glad to see you've joined the club, before it was too late.

I just last year perfected the cheese sandwich, with only a few years left of life, to enjoy this new found knowledge.

ps. As I just mentioned, I'm retro-watching Dr. Who, so "a few years" should not be interpreted in an Earthling time frame of reference.

pps. Picked up my turkey yesterday. Anyone have a new recipe? I'm still stuck on the one I perfected a couple of decades ago.

 

[ZapperZ]

So who will be roasting turkey tomorrow? Let's see pictures of your masterpiece when they are out of the oven!

I'm in charge of the turkey, so big pressure. I'm making compound butter to shmear underneath the skin. I also made my cranberry chutney a couple of days ago to go with the turkey. Luckily I'm not responsible for all the other side dishes and the pies.

Zz.

 

[Borg]

So who will be roasting turkey tomorrow? Let's see pictures of your masterpiece when they are out of the oven!

I'm in charge of the turkey, so big pressure. I'm making compound butter to shmear underneath the skin. I also made my cranberry chutney a couple of days ago to go with the turkey. Luckily I'm not responsible for all the other side dishes and the pies.

Zz.

We are having turducken at a friend's house. However, I will be cooking a turkey on Friday. I'll try to post pictures of both!

 

[ZapperZ]

We are having turducken at a friend's house.

Whoa! I hope you have an exercise regimen to work off all those calories from that beast! I'm sure those not in the US will look at a turducken and shake their heads in disbelief and horror!

Zz.

 

[Borg]

Whoa! I hope you have an exercise regimen to work off all those calories from that beast! I'm sure those not in the US will look at a turducken and shake their heads in disbelief and horror!

Zz.

Yes, I've been exercising. The husband and wife both cook very well and we always look forward to the holidays there. He is even going to de-bone all three himself. He smoked two turkeys overnight last year so I'm guessing that's what's in store for these birds as well. I can't wait. I feel like Homer Simpson drooling over a donut.

 

[OmCheeto]

So who will be roasting turkey tomorrow? Let's see pictures of your masterpiece when they are out of the oven!

I'm in charge of the turkey, so big pressure. I'm making compound butter to shmear underneath the skin. I also made my cranberry chutney a couple of days ago to go with the turkey. Luckily I'm not responsible for all the other side dishes and the pies.

Zz.

As always, I'm going to the relatives tomorrow.
And as always, I'll be cooking my own turkey, as they always send me home with only the leftover cookies.

Anyways, has anyone ever purchased a "dishonest" turkey?

How on Earth can a headless, disemboweled, frozen turkey, lie?
There should be a law...